Crafting For A Cause!

On the evening of May 15, Rachel Widomski was seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver outside of Haiku restaurant. Rachel’s severe spinal cord injuries will leave her paralyzed for life. Please join us in a city-wide fundraising effort to help support Rachel and her family during her long road to recovery.

We have set up an Etsy shop called HaikuHelp where we will be selling handmade goods from crafters in Columbus. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Rachel Widomski Medical Trust fund.

For more info or to hear Rachel's story, please visit haikuhelp.com.

If you would like to contribute your handmade item to the HaikuHelp Etsy shop, please contact AmyD or Amy N.

Shop Local!

Check out what Columbus crafters are selling on Etsy.com!

Use Etsy's "Shop Local" feature to find sellers in a neighborhood near you!

City Sampler: Columbus

City Sampler: Columbus (a special version of The Sampler) will feature items exclusively from crafters, DIYers and awesome businesses from Columbus and the surrounding area!

The Sampler is going local! We're creating samplers that focus on business from specific cities, towns, and regions! Along with the samples, we'll be providing all kinds of fun and interesting information and materials about the cities we're featuring!

The Sampler has spent the last three years distributing the very best handmade and indie communities have to offer. It has been really great collecting items from artists, crafters, musicians, and alternative publications all over the US, and the world! Now we'd like to try to go local - and we'd like you to be a part of it!

City Sampler: Columbus will be a new and fun way to experience both the city and The Sampler. We'd like to invite you to send us samples of your work or your product along with some promotional items, so that we can distribute them to people who are interested in supporting local businesses!

There are many benefits to contributing to the Sampler, and we know that the City sampler will provide you with an equally great opportunity!

If you send us Samples - the minimum being 10, the maximum being 100 - you may also send us 100 promo items for the City Sampler, which will reach 100 fans of Columbus (and the surrounding area) culture! You may also include an unlimited number of promos for regular issues of The Sampler, which reaches 500 subscribers and members of the media each month! For more info on contributing and promos, please see http://www.homeofthesampler.com/contributors/tips.html

Your Samples will be photographed for The Sampler website, and mentioned in the City Sampler Guide we will include in every City Sampler! So even if you only send 10 items, your business info will appear in all 100 City Samplers.

All items must be received by March 30th, 2008. Please email contribute@homeofthesampler.com with your submission ideas, or with any questions you might have about the Sampler!

You can also contact Amy N. directly in Columbus if you have any questions or would like to contribute. Artists, crafters, musicians, business/restaurant owners, etc. are all welcome to submit materials.

Crafty Cotillion Members Exhibiting at Agora Columbus!

The Crafty Cotillion is well-represented at the upcoming Agora Columbus show.

So what is Agora?
Agora is "an immersive event that brings artists and art patrons together to celebrate Central Ohio's diverse and talented creative community. Agora guests have the opportunity to view and purchase hundreds of works of art, wander through fifty working artists' studios, experience performance acts, enjoy a variety of musical guests, and participate in seasonal activities. The event is designed to be enjoyable for guests of all ages. Everyone is invited to be a part of the experience."

And who is signed up to exhibit?
Tons of talented folks, including:
Jen Adrion
Anne Holman
Amy Neiwirth
Liz Rosino
Sharon Bell
Megan Green
Jessica McCoskey

There are only a few days left to register as an artist! Do it now!

Boost Your Business: Contribute to The Sampler!

September was my first month as a contributor for The Sampler. Now what is The Sampler, you might ask?

Well, it's a very clever system where indie business owners & crafters send in samples of their work each month. People can purchase subscription to The Sampler, and when they receive it, they'll get a potpourri of adorably-packaged items from fabulous DIY folk! Not only is it great for the subscribers, it's good for you because it's a tool to promote you and your indie business.
Some of the subscribers are important media people who, if they are wowed by your samples, can feature you in their magazine or blog!

You can contribute anywhere from 25 to 200+ items, plus up to 350 promos (like business cards or logo buttons).
It's fairly labor-intensive and requires some extra planning, but it's worth it. Oh, and did I mention that if you contribute, you get a FREE Sampler for that month?

Etsy.com's new e-zine, the Storque, has an excellent article about The Sampler.

For September's Sampler, I contributed 25 little apple hairpins with a "back to school" theme.
Designing the packaging was the most fun.

If you are thinking about contributing, here are some very helpful links:

• How To Contribute
• Tips On Contributing
• Gallery of Past Samplers
  

If you have contributed to The Sampler before, post a comment and share your experiences!